15 Before And After Pics Showing How Female Characters Changed Over Time

There are some movie characters that we instinctively associate with certain actresses, such as Lara Croft and Angelina Jolie or Cruella de Vil and Glenn Close. However, the reality is that many of these roles were played by quite a few actresses throughout the years, with each one of them adding their own unique touch. And today we’d like to introduce you to some of them.

#1 Wonder Woman

Image source: Greenway Productions

Wonder Woman first appeared on the silver screens back in 1967, in a 5-minute TV short titled Wonder Woman: Who’s Afraid of Diana Prince? and the 7 years later in a full-length movie starring Cathy Lee Crosby, simply titled Wonder Woman. However, neither of these two were well received by the public, and the character only became popular in the 1975-1979 TV series starring Lynda Carter. The most recent actress to take the role of Wonder Woman was Gal Gadot in the 2020 movie Wonder Woman 1984.

#2 Eva Ernst, The Grand High Witch

Image source: Lorimar Film Entertainment

Eva Ernst, also known as the Grand High Witch, is a character from Roald Dahl’s 1983 novel The Witches. There were two movie adaptations of the book: a 1990 one starring Anjelica Huston, and a 2020 one starring Anne Hathaway.

#3 Sarah Connor

Image source: Orion Pictures

Even though Emilia Clarke and Lena Headey had played the role of Sarah Connor in some of the later Terminator spin-offs, it’s actress Linda Hamilton that is most famously known for this role, having played Connor since 1984 all the way up to 2019.

#4 Laurie Strode

Image source: Compass International Pictures

Laurie Strode is the main protagonist in the Halloween movie franchise. Ever since the first movie that came out back in 1978, the role was played by Jamie Lee Curtis, with the only exceptions being the 2007 and 2009 Halloween movies directed by Rob Zombie where Laurie was played by actress Scout Taylor-Compton.

#5 Jeanne d’Arc

Image source: Société Gėnėrale des Films

Jeanne d’Arc, also known as Joan of Arc in the West, was played by numerous actresses throughout history, starting with an anonymous actress starring in a short film all the way back in 1898, to Lise Leplat Prudhomme in the latest 2019 movie.

#6 Mary Poppins

Image source: Disney

Even though Mary Poppins from P. L. Travers’ book series of the same name is probably the most recognized nanny in the world, only two official movies were released. In the 1964 release Poppins was played by actress Julie Andrews, and by Emily Blunt in the 2018 sequel.

#7 Lara Croft

Image source: Paramount Pictures

Lara Croft started out as the main protagonist in the Tomb Raider video game series, that were later turned into movies. In the 2001 and 2003 movies, Lara was played by Angelina Jolie, and then by Alicia Vikander in the 2018 reboot.

#8 Carrie White

Image source: Red Bank Films

Carrie, one of author Stephen King’s most recognized characters, was played by quite a few actresses throughout the years. The role was played by Sissy Spacek in the original 1967 movie and its 1999 sequel, then by Angela Bettis in 2002, and lastly by Chloë Grace Moretz in the 2013 version.

#9 Selene

Image source: Lakeshore Entertainment

Selena is a character from the Underworld franchise, that was played by actress Kate Beckinsale since the first movie that came out back in 2003, to the latest one that came out in 2016.

#10 Cruella De Vil

Image source: Disney

Cruella de Vil is one of the most recognized Disney villains ever created. And even though we’ve see the character in some animated adaptations before, the first live-action movie in which we saw Cruella was the 1996 film 101 Dalmatians, where she was played by actress Glenn Close. In the later movies, the role was played by Wendy Raquel Robinson, Victoria Smurfit, and Emma Stone in the upcoming 2021 film.

#11 Margaret “Meg” March

Image source: RKO Pictures

Little Women started out as a book written by Louisa May Alcott, and was adapted into a silent film back in 1918. Sadly, the movie in which the main role of Meg was played by Isabel Lamon, was lost. There was another adaptation of the novel in 1933, where Meg was played by Frances Dee, followed by a 1949 version starring Janet Leigh, and a 1994 one starring Trini Alvarado. The latest adaptation of the novel came out in 2019 where Meg was played by none other than Emma Watson herself.

#12 Cleopatra

Image source: Robert Grau

There were numerous actresses that played the role of Cleopatra throughout the years, however, the earliest credited appearance belongs to actress Helen Gardner, who played the role back in 1912. The latest actresses to play Cleopatra were Alessandra Negrini in the 2007 Brazilian adaptation, and Lyndsey Marshal in TV series Rome, that ran from 2005 to 2007.

#13 Miss Moneypenny

Image source: Eon Productions

Ever fan of the James Bond franchise should recognize Ms. Moneypenny pretty well. The actress most associated with this role was Lois Maxwell, who made 15 appearances as Moneypenny in various movies since 1962 to 1985. The role was taken over by Naomie Harris since 2012.

#14 Irene Adler

Image source: Soviet Television Film

Character Irene Adler from the Sherlock Holmes franchise was first played by actress Lillie Langtry all the way back in 1882. However, the first credited appearance belongs to actress Joan Beverley, who played Irene in the 1921 movie A Scandal in Bohemia. The latest actress to take on the role of Irene Adler was Natalie Dormer in the Elementary TV series.

#15 April O’Neill

Image source: New Line Cinema

Even though April O’Neill made her first appearance in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics back in 1984, the first movie adaptation only came out six years later. April was initially played by Judith Hoag, then by Paige Turco in The Secret Of Ooze and Turtles In Time, and lastly by Megan Fox in the 2014 and 2016 versions.